Drive Slug Past Legends on Monday

Baldwin homers and drives in four runs

(Gwinn Davis)

By Cameron White / Greenville Drive | July 10, 2017 8:00 PM ET

Lexington, KY - On a night where offense was the story, the Greenville Drive scored five times in the fifth inning and held off the Lexington Legends for an 8-7 win and a victory in the four-game series.

The Drive (7-11, 48-39) entered the frame down 4-2 but quickly erased the deficit. Lorenzo Cedrola and Santiago Espinal hit back-to-back singles to begin the inning, and Roldani Baldwin tied the game with a double off Garrett Davila (6-4). Tucker Tubbs lined an RBI double in the inning, and a Legends (10-8, 44-43) error plated two more runs.

Baldwin's big night didn't just include the two-run double. He put the Drive ahead 1-0 in the first with an RBI single, and his solo homer in the top of the ninth proved to be a crucial hit in the game, as Joe Dudek cut the Drive lead to 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth with a solo homer of his own.

For the second consecutive night, a strong performance by a Drive reliever held the Legends at bay in the middle innings, as Robby Sexton (3-6) got the win by allowing just one run in four innings with four strikeouts. Hunter Smith entered in the ninth and stranded a pair of Legends in scoring position to nail down his sixth save.

The Legends touched Greenville starter Jay Groome for four runs and knocked him out of the game in the third. An RBI single by Manny Olloque and a Drive error in the second put the Legends ahead 2-1, and a two-run single by Meibrys Viloria extended their lead, which proved to be short-lived.

Baldwin went 3-5 with four RBI on the night, and Espinal added three hits of his own. Cedrola and Tubbs chipped in with two hits as well.

Following an off day on Tuesday, the Drive will return home on Wednesday night at 7:05 to begin a three-game series against the Kannapolis Intimidators, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The projected pitching matchup will feature Drive left-hander Jhonathan Diaz (2-3, 6.29) facing off against Intimidators right-hander Luis Martinez (3-0, 1.99).

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.